Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Nursing

Purpose

This qualification provides a career path for nurses who want to stay within the field of nursing, but who would like to specialise, focus on an area and add to their depth of knowledge and skill. Persons in scholarship for this qualification will become experts in primary care nursing. The public and private sectors need qualified specialists to improve health at community and family level.

The focus of the qualification will be to extend theory and its application in the primary care field. Typical learning activities should include study of appropriate specialist knowledge, case studies and integrated work-based learning. The competencies as specified under the five domains in the South African Nursing Council (SANC) competencies for Primary Care Nurse Specialist are distributed among these six modules. These five domains are: professional, ethical and legal practice; clinical practice: care provision and management; personal and quality of care; management and leadership and research.

Rationale

South Africa is currently facing healthcare challenges such as the high burden of diseases for example HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) and a shortage of key healthcare personnel. Although the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on healthcare (8%) is higher than the World Health Organisation's recommended 5% of the health outcomes remain poor when compared to similar middle-income countries. The public health sector is under pressure to deliver services to about 80% of the population. Hence there is a dire need to train nurses to render comprehensive healthcare to the citizens of South Africa.

Nurses trained in primary care nursing are able to contribute to the realisation of the Department of Health's vision of a long and healthy life for all South Africans by promoting health, preventing disease, treating patients with acute and chronic conditions, managing communicable and non-communicable diseases, and rehabilitate those in need of rehabilitation in the community. Furthermore, primary care nurses are pivotal in decreasing maternal and child mortality, combating HIV and AIDS and decreasing the burden of TB.

The primary care nurse specialist will act as leader of the primary healthcare team, within the newly implemented Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams and will contribute to the implementation of various national and provincial policies and guidelines. Furthermore, the nurse expert will maintain quality primary care services by conducting regular quality assurance activities.

The South African Nursing Council published the competences required for primary care nurse specialist which this qualification meets. Furthermore, it aims to address the needs of the national healthcare human resources plan of the National Department of Health. Primary care nurse specialist will be able to render specialist primary nursing care in rural and urban primary healthcare facilities in the public and private healthcare sector.

This qualification will enable qualifying learners to register with SANC as Primary care Nurse Specialist. Qualifying learners will be able to work as primary Care Nurse specialists in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare settings, function as an expert within the District Clinical Specialist Teams, and render advanced primary care nursing care in specialised units where primary care patients are treated.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Applicants must provide evidence of prior learning by means of portfolios, other forms of appropriate evidence and/or challenge theoretical and practicum examinations. Applicants may receive credits towards a qualification depending on the outcome of the RPL process. Prior learning is recognised according the RPL policy and procedures of the institution.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirements for this qualification are

• Professional Bachelor's degree in Nursing or an equivalent qualification.

or

• Advanced Diploma in Nursing or equivalent qualification.

or

• Relevant Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent qualification.
• Candidates must furnish proof of registration with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) as registered/professional/staff nurse and midwife.

This qualification consists of compulsory modules at Level 8 totalling 128 Credits.

Compulsory Modules

• Primary Care Nursing Theory, 32 Credits.
• Primary Care Nursing Clinical Practice, 24 credits.
• Professional Ethical-Legal Practice, 8 Credits.
• Professional Development, 8 Credits.
• Management, 8 Credits.
• Research Methodology, 32 Credits.
• Pharmacology and Dispensing,16 Credits.

1. Demonstrate foundational and conditional knowledge of patients in primary care settings in order to plan healthcare according to best practice evidence.
2. Demonstrate functional knowledge through clinical judgement of patients in a variety of primary care settings in order to plan healthcare according to best available evidence.
3. Practice within the ethical-legal parameters of the nursing profession and resolves professional-ethical dilemmas by using decision making and moral reasoning models.
4. Improve quality care through the development of self, others and implementation of available evidence for best practice.
5. Manage occupational health through effective occupational norms and standards.
6. Apply knowledge and principles of the research process.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Improve health outcomes through implementation of best available evidence based on foundational and conditional knowledge of the Primary Care Nurse specialists.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Improve health outcomes through rendering and coordination of specialist primary Care Nursing care of patients and families in variety of primary care settings.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Utilise decision making and moral reasoning models to guide clinical practice and resolve professional-ethical dilemmas within ethical-legal parameters.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Use mentorship to develop self and peers and improve quality of care.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Manage primary care health services according to occupational health norms and standards.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Develop a workable research proposal through the application of knowledge and principles of the research process.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Apply relevant legislation in the prescription and management of drugs.

Integrated Assessment

Formative and Summative Assessment

Assessment will take place within the context of the quality assurance policies, procedures and processes of the institution and in a guided and supported learning environment. Baseline assessment will be done during contact sessions by means of introductory questions to determine prior knowledge of students. Questioning will be used to determine if difficult concepts and information were successfully mastered. Group participation, organisational skills, leadership, cooperation, initiative and creativity of individual learners will be assessed within group activities.

Formative assessment will be done by means of completion of workbook activities, group discussion, immersive simulation, reflection after clinical learning experiences. Constructive feedback will be given following academic interaction with students.

A combination of different summative assessment methods allows for testing a wide variety of outcomes. Examples of summative assessment tasks are written tests, written examinations, proficiency tests, case presentations, case studies, project reports, written assignments to name a few. All modules will use continuous assessment activities which will accumulate into a general portfolio. Learners will write the examination at the end of each semester in primary Care Nursing. Continuous assessment will be used for the other four modules.